The talented Gioia of Posta Via Gufo was kind enough to create this free calligraphy and watercolor desktop wallpaper for TPK readers. She also designed this artwork to fit perfectly on any phone and/or for printing and hanging. Read more about Gioia and her art + calligraphy in this blog post, and download this beautiful piece in whatever format(s) you desire.

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to stumble across Posta Via Gufo, the calligraphy-centric blog of a gifted artist named Gioia. I really enjoy Gioia’s blog and work, and I reached out to her hoping she would be willing to share something on the TPK blog. Much to my delight, she agreed! The result of her generosity is this amazing desktop wallpaper, which she created using watercolor and her original calligraphy. You can use this background on your phone, computer, or even just print it out and hang it on the wall.

To download this wallpaper for your non-iPhone phone, visit this link.

To download this wallpaper for your PC or Mac, visit this link {right click to save, then set the image as your desktop wallpaper}.

To download this wallpaper as a free 12″x8″ art print, visit this link. If you would prefer to download it as an 8″x10″, visit this link.

Note that this artwork is, of course, Gioia’s creation and property — please only use for personal purposes, and do not redistribute without crediting Gioia. Thank you!

In addition to creating this desktop wallpaper, Gioia was kind enough to answer a few interview questions. I enjoyed reading her opinions on and experience with calligraphy and know you will, too!

Q: What is your name, and where are you from?:
A: Hi! My name is Gioia and I’m from Italy, where I still live.

Q: When did you start creating art/calligraphy?:A: I started doing calligraphy last year. I found a book about traditional calligraphy and I’ve tried different styles – Italics, Fraktur and Uncial mostly.

Recently, I’ve fallen in love with modern calligraphy.

Q: What is your favorite pen (holder) and nib?:
A: At the moment my favorite nib is the Hunt 22. I love how fine and flexible it is. I actually have no favorite pen holder; for now I only have two holders.

Q: What is your favorite non-calligraphy-related medium (like: watercolor, acrylic paint, etc.)?:
A: I very much enjoy using white gouache with a dark paper, but I think that my favorite medium is watercolors, which are lovely with both nibs and brush script. I’m still learning how to master them properly, though.

Q: Why do you think calligraphy is relevant in today’s world, especially when people can just type things out on a computer using any font they want? What’s the appeal of hand-writing?
A: I think calligraphy is relevant because it is unique and sometimes imperfect – which adds a “human” touch to the work. Nowadays it’s unusual to write things by hand, as we are surrounded by devices that allow us to write everything we need electronically. Writing things by hand requires time and patience, which gives more value to what we are writing.

Plus, calligraphy is a great way to relieve stress!

Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start learning calligraphy; or practice their art skills?
A: As a beginner myself, I can say that learning calligraphy may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it’s actually easier than you think: you can start to practice with supplies that cost less than $15 – just buy some paper, some ink and a nib with a nib holder. If you have never used a nib, start with a simple pen and just write: I’ve learned how calligraphy works by faking it thanks to this tutorial on faux calligraphy.

To learn how upstrokes and downstrokes work, I think it’s easier watch it rather than read about it, and there are some videos that I’ve found both useful and beautiful:

Molly Suber Thorpe’s book, Modern Calligraphy, is very well suited for both beginners and intermediate.

I don’t like to copy styles from authors I love; usually I just look at their websites and then try to forget about it, hoping that only a little trace of inspiration remains. Another great way to find inspiration is to use Pinterest. The only way to learn is practice everyday.

Q: How did you make this particular wallpaper?
A: First I made a pencil sketch on paper, and after a few tries I used a black ink with my Hunt 22 nib for the calligraphy quote. For the watercolor part, I soaked a rough paper sheet and then randomly applied red, blue and some green with a round brush. Once it was all dried, I scanned it, cleaned everything up in Photoshop, united the two files into one.

Q: What is your favorite thing you have ever created?
A: I am very critical of my own work, so this is a tough question! I think that for now my favorite one is a brush script I’ve done for a friend of mine, Wanderlust.

Another one I like is this quote that I wrote for a friend; using white gouache on a picture was really fun and easier than I thought.

Q: Where can people find you (blog URL, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.)?
A: My website is currently under construction, but my blog is up and running at www.postaviagufo.com.

I’m on Twitter too, but I only use it to babble random things in Italian!

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Thanks so much to Gioia for creating this gorgeous artwork for us, and for answering these questions. I know the desktop wallpaper looks great on my iMac, and I’m excited to put it on my iPhone as well!

Welcome to The Postman’s Knock

I'm Lindsey Bugbee

designer + illustrator + calligrapher

The Postman's Knock is a blog focused on teaching creative techniques and offering guides to learning modern calligraphy and illustration. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!

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8 Comments

Hi, Lindsey,
I love all of your blog posts and this so, so pretty wallpaper! I have a question about calligraphy on a watercolor background. Gioia says here that she created two separate files, then merged them into one, but can you just hand-letter calligraphy onto a watercolor background on watercolor paper? Or do you have to “paint” the words using a brush? Do you have a tutorial on that somewhere? Thank you! 🙂

I don’t have a tutorial on that, but it’s a wonderful tutorial suggestion! As long as the ink is opaque, you should be able to calligraph it clearly on any surface {whether that surface has been painted with watercolors or not}. The only thing I would caution is sometimes writing on watercolor paper can be a bit difficult because it’s fibrous and can trip up your nib. But — with practice, it won’t be a problem! I’d recommend practicing a few words on a scrap piece of watercolor paper before you take on the “real deal”! 🙂

I love the wallpaper. So so talented Gioia is . Thank you so much for sharing.
Lindsey, I need a bit of help from you. I’d like to incorporate some calligraphy in my illustrations. I’d love it if you could shed some light on the kind of nibs and holders I should get while getting started. I have a 10 year old regular Sheaffer pen with me currently which I’m yet to see if it’s working. Can you please help me out with the tools required? Thanks a bunch 🙂

As far as nibs, I have a blog post (which you can find here) about which are my favorites. I also have a tutorial over watercolor calligraphy that I think you might find useful; I like using watercolor to incorporate calligraphy because the calligraphy doesn’t take center stage and instead complements the subject.

With holders, any standard straight plastic holder will do. If you’re right-handed, you also might invest in an oblique calligraphy pen (find the pen here; and a tutorial on how to use it here). The total cost for these two holders is around $4.00. 😉

Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m excited to see the new illustrations.